Business lessons from unconventional wisdom

Welcome to the whimsical world where philosophy meets entrepreneurship. You might wonder how the musings of ancient philosophers can help us today in our small business endeavours. Well, put on your ancient reading glasses. We are about to embark on a philosophical journey through the atmosphere where Socrates questions your reasoning like a judge, and Aristotle provides tips on customer value proposition. If you think philosophy is just for Unisa academics who wear turtlenecks and sip lattes in Brooklyn cafes, think again. This is the unconventional wisdom your enterprise has been waiting for.

Before diving in, please report to the Start-Up gate, where you’ll be greeted by Socrates, who’ll immediately pester you with questions until you admit you know nothing about the business you are about to start. Socrates is like your aunts and cousins who keep asking you what you are trying to achieve with the money you are always borrowing from them. If you keep avoiding their questions, maybe you’re not ready to start your business. Instead, become a Socrates to your potential customers, competitors, the accountant you hated in high school, and some dodgy suppliers. Ask them why they do what they do. The moment you assume you know everything is the moment you should visit a former township spaza owner who is now operating a pyramid scheme. Questions make you wise, though also very annoying at times. At the same time, it is better to be annoyed earlier than being tortured by your guilt when you realise later that you have made a fatal mistake. Avoid Judas Iscariot's guilty moment.

If you manage to go through the Start-Up gate, don’t miss Aristotle’s tunnel of logic. As the father of logic, Aristotle would've made an excellent business mentor had he been present today. He encourages us to consider syllogism - a form of reasoning where you take two premises to conclude. For example, premise one says, most customers want value; premise two says, my product delivers value; therefore, the conclusion is that customers will buy my product. So, do not skip that workshop class introducing you to customer value proposition (CVP) or unique value proposition (UVP). It will teach you the principles of deductive reasoning for formulating your unique value proposition, helping you to avoid that African voodoo mumbo-jumbo rituals, hoping it will help your business attract customers.

Moving on to Machiavelli, the influential author known for his pragmatic approach to power dynamics. Entering the South African market as a small business, especially when dominated by big corporations with deep pockets, established distribution channels, and national brand recognition, can feel like throwing a spear at a drone armed with lethal weapons. Think of Machiavelli as your sneaky business ally, like Hermes in ancient Greek mythology: part realist, part chameleon, part fearless character. He isn’t whispering “be a corporate tyrant,” but rather handing you a playbook on how to spot reality’s curveballs, switch your game plan on a dime, and dazzle people with your street-smart swagger while moving fearlessly between Johannesburg and the Cape Town business underworld mafias. Follow his tips (with your moral compass intact), and you’ll be an agile great white shark in a pond full of bloated whales,navigating the drama of market dynamics, wrangling partners, and building a business that laughs in the face of chaos.

Next up, meet Jean-Paul Sartre — the brooding French philosopher who said, “you are the sum of your choices”, so stop blaming the Stellenbosch mafia. In the business world, it means taking accountability: “finish and klaar” (R.I.P. Selebi). If your product tanks harder than your mother-in-law’s diet plan, don’t cry about “market conditions” or “bad timing.” That was your baby — and yes, she cries all night, but own up. Sartre’s idea is that life, including entrepreneurship, doesn’t come with a manual; you write it as you go.

Now, let’s enter Plato’s in the pitch room, sipping Chinese herbal tea and throwing shade at your business model, mumbling something about how your strategy is just a shadow on the cave wall. You try to pitch your latest idea, but he sighs and says, “You’re not enlightened enough for the pure reasoning.” You’re selling the budget version when you should be aiming for the ideal. In business terms, don’t settle for wobbly IKEA reality — aim for the IKEA catalogue of truth. Build your brand like it belongs in the showroom: sleek, purposeful, morally superior, and ideally free from tiny corrupt screws. Because Plato wouldn’t just want you to sell chairs — he’d want you to sell the idea of the perfect chair and maybe throw in free delivery while you're at it.

Lastly, let’s watch Kant stroll into your small business like a stern but lovable Madiba with a moral compass so strong it could guide a Titanic. He’s all about doing the right thing for the right reason — no shortcuts, no shady deals, and definitely no bribing the Minister of Police. His philosophy screams, act only according to maxims that can be applied consistently to all as if it were a universal law, which in business-speak means: Don’t do anything you’d be horrified to see trending on X (formerly Twitter) for days, and you know who is trending for all the wrong reasons since last week.

So, dust off those classic philosophical texts, roll up your sleeves, and apply some of that unconventional wisdom to your enterprise. Who knew that business acumen could be as philosophical as it is enlightening? Now, let's go out there and philosophise our way to entrepreneurial glory.

Bongani Ntombela, Executive: Programmes at 22 On Sloane.

*** The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Independent Media or IOL.

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